Photo: ImaxTree
Shampoo, condition, rinse. Unless you follow the bottle religiously and repeat, that’s the hair washing routine you typically adhere to in the shower. But what if you’re missing a major step that could save your hair color from the dullness caused by continuously scrubbing your strands? Well, that’s the idea behind Celebrity Colorist Rita Hazan’s in-shower hair gloss, True Color Ultimate Shine Gloss ($26, sephora.com), a product that is made to enhance and provide maintenance to your hair color and increase shine.
It’s been around for a while (although it just relaunched with brand new packaging), the product, which dispenses in a super light foam, is meant to be used after you shampoo but before you condition. “It’s basically a lot of conditioner, a lot of shine, and a little bit of color,” explains Hazan. “It acts as an in-between the shampoo and conditioner. Whatever the shine and moisture the shampoo took out—True Color Ultimate Shine Gloss will put back.”
Essentially the at-home version of a glossing treatment you’d get at a salon, although Hazan says they usually have way more color, and this is so gentle that it can be done 2-4 times a week.
While those with rich or vibrant hair color (think redheads or a rich brown hue) or highlights may be more apt to trying it out, it can be used on virgin hair, too. Hazan says that even if you don’t have dye, the environment can contribute to hair dullness and using the clear version of the product will add a “glistening effect” to your strands.
We decided to give it a shot on brunette hair with blonde balayage highlights to see what happened. After we shampooed, we took about three pumps of the gloss and distributed it through our hair, rinsing it out a few minutes later, and then conditioned. It was really light and kind of felt like we were just working suds through our hair, but note it is sulfate-free.
After rising out hair, we air-dried and found our hair to feel incredibly soft and shiny. So what about those blonde highlights? After using the treatment for the third time, we noticed our blonde streaks were more vibrant and slightly less brassy. We noticed even more sheen when we blow-dryed, and it made us feel like we just left the salon after a color touch-up and a blowout.
Are you skipping an essential step in your hair washing routine? Not exactly, unless you’re a stickler about hair color maintenance or dullness is your personal pet peeve. And honestly, at only $26, it’s a whole lot cheaper than a salon appointment and who can argue with better-looking strands?
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